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Kindle Edition
Amazon
Category:
Young Adult/Teen
Publisher: Createspace
ISBN-10: 1481253050
Type: Fiction
Pages: 110
Copyright: December 14, 2012
ISBN-13: 9781481253055
Two young children travel back in time to solve an eight hundred year old mystery.
In 1939, at the outbreak of war, fourteen year old Rose and her younger brother David are evacuated to Nottingham to stay at the family home of an eccentric retired army colonel and his wife.
Upon their arrival they are told the story of a young outlaw who, in the twelfth century, was accused of stealing part of the ransom money that was to be used to free King Richard from prison in Germany.
The outlaw and his companion disappeared whilst escaping from the Sheriff's men in Nottingham Castle and were never heard from again.
Rose and David set out to discover what really happened all those centuries ago, but to do that they have to unravel the secret in the cellar.
Excerpt
At six pm on the dot, Mrs Golightly emerged from the kitchen and strode purposefully across the large foyer carrying a small copper gong in one hand and a padded striker in the other. Reaching the middle she raised the gong and struck it a dozen times. When she stopped, the sound echoed throughout the house for several seconds before fading away. With a satisfied nod of her head she strode, just as purposefully, back into the kitchen.
A little while later, Rose and Miss Frobisher entered from the back garden, where Rose had been admiring the stables whilst being given a detailed history of the house by Dorothy.
As they reached the foyer, Colonel Livingstone came clumping down the stairs, followed first by David, then Mr Cavendish.
"Ah, here come the men, fresh from battle," Miss Frobisher called out, heartily. "Who won this time, Colonel?"
"It was a close run thing, Dorothy," the Colonel replied. "But young Fletcher and I gave the Russians a good hiding in the end, didn't we, my boy?"
"Yes, it was great," David replied breathlessly; partly from the excitement of the game and partly from the climb down from the attic. "The Colonel's got some smashing model soldiers. Tomorrow we're going to do the Battle of Nazeby with the Cavaliers and Roundheads."
"Well, it sounds as if you've had as interesting an afternoon as we have," Miss Frobisher said. "Isn't that right, Rose?"
"Yes, we went down to the cellar and found a door that leads to a secret passage."
"A secret passage?" David exclaimed, "Where does it go to?"
"All the way to Nottingham Castle," Rose replied.
"Well, not quite," the Colonel interjected, reaching the bottom of the stairs. "I had the passage sealed at the foot of the steps, following a slight...er...mishap several years ago."
Miss Frobisher smiled. "Yes, I was telling Rose all about your slight mishap."
"Yes...nasty business," the Colonel replied, looking sheepish at the memory. "Anyway, it's a good thing I did. There's a whole network of tunnels down there, and they're not in the best condition after nine hundred years or so."
"What if somebody tried to get down there from the other end, inside the castle?" Rose asked.
"That's not possible, my dear. The local council sealed the castle end when there was first talk of a war, in case the Germans used it as part of their invasion plans."
David looked thoughtful. "If it only goes from here to the castle, why would the Germans want to use it? They could just drive their tanks up to the front gate and knock on the door."
The Colonel looked down at David and wagged his finger. "Never underestimate the Germans, young Fletcher. They're a devious race, just like all foreigners; who knows what their motives might be. Take the Greeks, for example... "
"Why don't we leave the Greeks until after dinner," Mrs Livingstone called out from the dining room doorway. "I'm sure these young people are hungry after their busy afternoon."
"Yes, of course," the Colonel replied. "Mustn't forget to feed the troops. An army marches on its stomach, don't you know."
While Cavendish made his way out to the kitchen to supervise the serving of dinner, everyone else made their way into the dining room.
The Colonel placed a hand on David's shoulder. "After dinner, young Fletcher, remind me to tell you all about the wooden horse of Troy."
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